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Maybe it was how I was raised, or maybe it's the thrill of knowing you got something for next to nothing, getting my bang for my buck has always been important to me. Whether it's running to the back section of the store at the mall, checking fliers for weekly coupons, or signing up for the member's rewards programs there are tons of ways that I save money. Over the years, I have learned how to own in on this skill to seek out new ways to save money, make money, and even score free sh!t.
Shopping Rebates
Since we're on the topic of shopping, one of the easiest ways to earn money on all of your purchases is to utilize rebate apps. I cannot stress this enough, you. get. free. money. to. shop. Often, these apps will match certain item's prices in cashback meaning you get the item for free after you scan your receipt. It's that simple. There are tons and tons of rebate apps and sites all over the internet worth trying, but these prove to be my absolute favorite, and they work with PayPal!
1. ibotta has become one of my absolute FAVORITE cashback apps ever. Not only is it incredibly easy to use, but it works with both mobile purchases and in-store receipts! I have gotten in the habit of checking my ibotta app before heading out on my shopping trips to see what offers they have for the week. Not only do you find everyday items, "no rules" items, and new items, but you can often find items with cashback equal to the retail value meaning you score a FREE item. And trust me, it adds up fast if you use it every time. at $20, you can then redeem your cashback through PayPal, Venmo, or as a giftcard to tons of your favorite places like Walmart, Ulta, and Target.
2. Another favorite of mine that I have been using for years is Ebates cashback. While their in-store purchases are quite limited, they have the largest selection of stores for online shopping. One of my favorite features is the availability of online coupons and coupon codes to help save you even more money. Ebates is also famous for offering double cashback depending on the holiday, month, or a special occasion. Each "season" you receive your cashback either through a mailed check or PayPal. Pro Tip: If you want it as quickly as possible I suggest linking your PayPal email.
3. I have been using receipt hog for quite some time now and it takes a bit longer to rack up rewards than some of the other rebate apps out there. However, it's so easy and fun that I can't stop. Unlike ibotta and Ebates, you are not restricted to specific stores or items. You simply take a photo of your receipt and hit upload. Receipt Hog then auto detects the store name, location, date, total, and each item. You earn coins for each receipt that can be later redeemed for money on PayPal. How easy is that? You can also earn extra coins by spinning the Hog slot machine and answering item specific surveys. At the time, I had to join a waitlist before I could start using the app. I am not sure if it still like that or open to all. You'll have to give it a shot.
4. Paribus is a super passive way to earn money back on your Amazon purchases. You simply link it to your email account as well as your Amazon Prime account and Paribus does all the work for you. Each time you make a Amazon purchase, Paribus keeps watch to see if the price drops in a certain time frame. If it does, you get that money back. Easy as pie!
5. There are tons of other apps to try and I even have a few of them installed on my phone. Checkout 51, SavingStar, and Fetch rewards all function similarly to ibotta meaning you can earn money back on your everyday grocery purchases. Because I live in such a rural area, the items on these apps can be somewhat limited, so I do not use them all the time. That doesn't mean you shouldn't give them a shot.
Shopping Plug-Ins
If you are a huge internet shopper or just like knowing you can save on holiday, splurge, or everyday purchases, chrome plugins are incredibly useful. No, they're necessary. Each on the mentioned plugins are designed to search the web for coupon codes from every source imaginable. The plugin then sticks each code into the box at checkout and compares them based on the highest savings amount, meaning you have a huge chance at saving a nice chunk of money.
1. Honey is probably one of the most useful plugins simply because it finds the most coupon codes out of the 4. It also works with the largest amount of stores. Once it is installed, it detects the coupon code box and the rest is history. It will automatically implement the code with the largest savings, but you are always able to change the code if you'd like.
2. Piggy works a lot like Honey in that it compares and tries coupon codes from around the web. It also works with over 3,000 different retailers.
3. Like Honey and Piggy, wikibuy will run codes through the checkout, but it also comes with another perk. When used with Amazon, it will compare prices giving you the option to purchase directly through WikiBuy or with Amazon.
4. If you need yet another reason to join Ebates, you can add coupon tracking to the list. With high cashback, in-store coupons, and coupon comparisons, you are guaranteed to get some kind of money toward your purchase.
And did I mention, All of these also offer cashback! Whether it's through points or coins, there's tons of ways to earn money with chrome plugins. If you're like me, you'd install away and make sure you keep each one handy.
Coupons. Coupons. Coupons.
Another great way to save money on your everyday purchases is to use coupon sites. Sadly, paper coupons are becoming more and more obsolete meaning they are harder to come by. When I know I have a large grocery trip coming up, or I plan on purchasing pricier brands, I always check for printable coupons. Many coupon sites now offer digital coupons as well that link to your loyalty cards. Be careful to check dates and read the terms carefully. Many sites have fake coupons circulating so it's always a good idea to go to reputable sites. Here are some of my favorites!
Survery Sites
If you do a quick google search, there are loads and loads of survey sites claiming to offer you rewards for your feedback and participation. Most of these site require to "qualify" for each survey and invest tons of time before actually see anything in return. Luckily, I have found a few sites with fast turnaround a,d questions that are actually interesting.
1. Crowdtap is my absolute favorite survey site. They recently gave their website a complete face lift in hopes to make it more user friendly. Each question is personalized for you based on the first few questions you answer. They were able to implement easier to answer questions that include, short answer, multi choice and fill-ins. You also have the choice to opt out of any questions you don't want and skip around to the ones you want first. For each question or task you complete, you earn points. 1000 point is an instant $5. 2000 is $10. Etc. You can then redeem your cash in giftcards for places like Amazon, Ulta, Walmart, or Target. They also have no point surveys that put you in the basket to receive a FREE item as long as you promise to review it in exchange. I have yet to receive any items, however I have made over $250 this past year.
2. It's been a while since I've used Pinch Me, but I believe it hasn't changed too much. This website has many different surveys and the more you do, the more likely you are to get a Free sample box full of goodies. If you're like me, you may burn out after a while of reading through surveys. Luckily there is another way to score free stuff. On Tuesdays, they have Sample Tuesdays where if you're quick, you can grab free items such as snacks, pet food, or beauty products. I have gotten a few items on Sample Tuesday and they do take a bit to arrive but hey, it's free.
Stuff 4 Review
One of the easiest ways to get free or super, super cheap items is to check out review sites. Many of them partner with Amazon, meaning it's even easier to submit your review. While some sites want detailed reviews, others allow you to get by with not doing any at all.
1. Influenster is one of the best ways to score free items in exchange for your review. On your profile, you answer simple questions about you, your household, and your preferences. You can also link all of your social media to calculate your impact score. Even if you haven't received any items yet, you can search literally anything you want and review it from the site such as food and beauty products. You also get snap surveys that are category specific such as health, food, and home. The more review you have and the higher the impact score you have, the more likely you are to receive free items. I've gotten quite a few boxes from them. Each box you review based on the app comes with the possibility of winning a mega voxbox, deepening on the task. (I even won one) Honestly, there's so much on this site it's crazy. Oh, did I mention they also have cashback now?
Here are a few of the items I received.
2.If you have Amazon Prime, there are many sites that work with them to obtain product reviews, meaning as a consumer, you can get them for next to nothing. My favorite discount product site is Vipon. Most sites cap how many items you can claim in a day, week, or month, but Vipon's are considerably high. After you have found an item you like (at up to 99% off) you are then sent a coupon code to claim it in Amazon. You have to do one at a time because of Amazon's one code limit. After you receive the product, you are supposed to leave a review on the item's page. However, I have yet to review one item. I'm not sure if it's a glitch or they do not care as long as you stay within your limit cap. You can find items like beauty products, kitchen, items, pet toys, and even adult items.
3. Similar to Vipon, Snagshout functions the same way but their limit caps are a lot lower. Currently mine it set to 3 a day, however it resets after 24 hours. You have to be a bit more careful with this site because most of it is coming from China. Make sure you have Prime selected to ensure your item arrives in time.
Resale/Trade-In
This money maker may require a little more effort, but the results can be pretty favorable. Resale has become a great way from people to buy and sell used items such as clothes, electronics and housewares. Many sites charge a small fee for each item, but there are a few ways to keep all of your money.
1. Poshmark is my favorite app to sell my used clothing, shoes, accessories and even makeup. They charge a small flat fee of $2.95 for anything under $15 and 20% of anything over $15. While it may sound high, it can add up quickly depending on how much and what you are selling. The best part is that they charge each customer a flat fee for shipping meaning you don't have to worry about a thing. Just print the label and ship.
2. Ebay is another great place to buy and sell pretty much anything and everything. I get tons of my collectibles such as taxidermy and antique photos on Ebay. The fees vary depending on how much you are selling as well as your seller status. You do have more control over shipping, but you often have to pay for it.
3. If you want to keep all of the money you sell an item for then consider using Facebook Marketplace. You have control over the price of your item and the ability to share it among both friends and strangers. With this in mind, you do have to be incredibly careful with any meet-ups and keep it in a high traffic, public area.
4. There are many sites that advertise their phone trade-in programs but Decluttr has to be one of my favorites. They offer some of the highest prices and pay for shipping. They also buy DVDs, laptops, video games, movies, books and even Lego!
5. Amazon also has a trade-in program that works just like Decluttr. The money is a bit lower but they offer a bigger library of items. You can also redeem your money for instant Amazon gift cards!
Whether you're like me and find joy in saving and earning money for doing next to nothing, or you just want to make a change in your budget, then these apps and sites will come in handy. It can be time consuming, but with a combination of these apps, you are guaranteed to come out with something good.
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Hi I'm Hannah!Tattoo and Camera Collector. Taxidermy Enthusiast. Food Lover. Boy Mom. Beauty Lover.
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